Coming to us from Southwest Missouri, Lexie Thompson shared the following news item on a June is Dairy Month event that was held this past weekend. Thanks for sharing, Lexie!

Visitors milk fun from Dairy Days festival
From News-Leader.com of Springfield, MO
By Linda Leicht

Justin Brannon learned that no two Holsteins look alike; Devin Guyer learned that cheese is made from milk; and Brianna Smith learned that pepperoni pizza owes a lot to cows.

Kids and adults alike could learn plenty during Dairy Days at Rutledge-Wilson Farm Park this past weekend.

The two-day event celebrated Dairy Month, showing off the park’s cows and milking barn.

On the west side of Springfield, the 207-acre farm park provides education, entertainment and information about Missouri’s agricultural heritage.

More than 4,000 people visited the park during Dairy Days. Since the park opened in December, it has welcomed visitors as it has grown and developed.

It now features a barn — which houses four miniature horses, four Nigerian dwarf goats, four Hampshire pigs, four Old English Southdown babydoll sheep and a 7-month-old Holstein heifer — and a classroom, henhouse and pen, visitor center, farmhouse, museum, milking barn and milk house.

A series of raised gardens displays the typical crops and flowers of a southwest Missouri farm. A stocked pond gives visitors a chance to catch catfish and bluegill. A farm-themed play area gives little ones a chance to let off steam while learning about farm life.

Justin, 11, has a connection to the property, previously the Walnut Grove Farm Dairy.

“Grandpa used to run cattle here,” he said. “I fed one.”

The property was home to an extensive dairy operation and cattle farm, said Thomas Moore, superintendent of special facilities for Springfield-Greene County Parks and Recreation.

Dairy Days provided an opportunity to rediscover that past and have a little fun.

One highlight was the milking contest Saturday, won by Springfield City Councilman Ralph Manley, who managed to squeeze out 20 ounces of milk in one minute. Park Board President Bob Horton came in last, with nary a drop.

Amy Dooley, facility coordinator, said Dairy Days is one of three special events planned for the rest of the year. She invites anyone who is interested in volunteering at the farm, with the animals or with the events, to give her a call at 837-5944.

Harvest Fest, Sept. 27-28, will kick off a month of fall fun when a 10-acre cornfield will be turned into a corn maze, and the pumpkin patch will give everyone a chance to get ready for Halloween.

Christmas on the Farm, Dec. 20-21, will be a repeat of last year’s event.

Devin, 7, and his family attended the first winter event at the park and have been coming back ever since. They were there Sunday to celebrate Father’s Day.

“This is my daughter’s favorite place in the world,” said dad Chris Guyer.

Daughter Ashley, 5, was busy tossing quarters into milk jugs — she won prizes for herself and brothers Devin and Demetrius, 9 — and petting the miniature horses. She even had her birthday party at the park.

Guyer said he hopes to show his children about the history of the land, as well as their connection as American Indians to that land.

“This is where everyone came from,” he said.

That is the reason for the farm park, said Moore:

“People are re-learning about this.”

Below is the first portion of an article posted online yesterday at www.dailygazette.com of Schenectady, NY. Click here to view the entire article, along with pictures!

For more information on Kings Ransom Farm, visit their website at www.kingsransomfarm.com. Events such as this are wonderful ways in which we can connect with communities and consumers to enlighten them about the dairy world during June Dairy Month!

Dairy farm expecting huge crowds
By Stephen Williams
Gazette Reporter

NORTHUMBERLAND — When Jeff King graduated from Cornell University in 1993, the family farm on King Road was milking around 150 Holstein cows every day.

Ever since, the herd at Kings Ransom Farm has been growing, and it now may be the biggest dairy farm in Saratoga County.

Jan and Jeff King’s operation milks 900 cows every day; they have about 1,700 animals altogether.

The public will have a chance to see how such a farm operates when the King family hosts the 13th annual “Sundae on the Farm” from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Organizers expect more than 2,500 people to attend an event that includes food, farm tours, horse-drawn wagon rides, live music, demonstrations by Saratoga area chefs using local products, and a farmers market. And, of course, there will be ice cream sundaes.

Getting bigger has kept Kings Ransom Farm going in an era when dairy farming has shrunk and consolidated, with dozens of farms just in the Capital Region being lost in the last 20 years.

“We’re a large farm for our locality, but when you look at farms in the Midwest and West, we’re small. They’ll be talking about 4,000 or 5,000 cows,” Jeff King said.

This is the extended version of our visit with Holstein World team member, Jessica McKee. An abbreviated version appears in the June magazine. If you’d ever like to get in contact with Jessica, she can be reached at 800-334-1904 ext. 244 or jmckee@dairybusiness.com!

Greetings World readers! I’m delighted to share with you a little bit about me. Among several other duties, I am a liaison between our subscribers and our publications. I care for our online visitors, and those who take time to write or call. I provide customer care to both our domestic and foreign customers, and to my colleagues.

I have one daughter, a wonderful young woman, who along side my son-in-law is raising my three grandchildren back in my home state of California. My parents were both originally from Brooklyn, NY. Hence, I was raised an odd native Californian who says “ahrange” (orange) and “harrible” (horrible).

My past occupations have included being a professional performing musician, co-owning a golf school/ driving range in California, working at a restaurant/pub in Colorado and I have counseled on a hotline for battered women and children. I’ve asked people if “they’d like fries with that?” I’ve sold stereo equipment, helped people create their dreams with a home loan. I’ve lived every moment, and been blessed with incredible people to share it with.

Timing is a curious phenomenon…and so is perception. We are DairyBusiness Communications - Dairy being the key word here. For example, a gentleman called who was trying to locate our office. He was delivering our creamer and was a ’stand in’ for the guy who usually handled our route. Jenn Larabee jumped right in to direct him from the interstate, he was grateful and they hung up. Great! The beverage service was finally coming to replenish our creamer and coffee for the office!

Important office supplies, I’d say.

20 minutes later, it was the gentleman calling back. Our office lies in a very tricky spot. It’s rather off the beaten track, and at the edge of a very confusing entanglement of streets. So I’m not surprised he’s confused about where to go from the main street. I remained on the phone with him, guiding him in. Moments earlier, Karen Knutsen, Jenn and Carol Moyer here in the office mentioned how odd this was. We all smile a lot, we laugh as much as possible…for the most part, we’re happy people…with imagination. BUT…you can just imagine how shocked we were to see a industrial-haul tanker pull up in our narrow drive. Uh, yes the cream was here…only it wasn’t in small ounce packets we could fit in the fridge of the break room…uh no. We’re talking TANKER. We invited him in for new directions, a cup of coffee with cream and shared the laugh. After all, the key word Dairy brought us here.

Most exciting accomplishment? Meeting our subscribers at World Dairy Expo and helping to keep them informed by offering them a variety of information that our publications provide. The smile I receive back, the thank you over the phone…the email of gratitude, it means a great deal to me. Knowing every day I talk to people all over this world who share the same concerns, and who strive to provide the same quality of nourishment for their neighbors, their family and their friends at home and across the seas reminds me that it’s a very small world. And we share it together. So every time I hear thank you, I receive it like a hug and that’s a wonderful thing.

I believe in what we do - supporting this industry. Every smile I receive, thank you, email of gratitude, means a great deal to me. Every day I talk to people all over this world who share the same concerns, who strive to provide the same quality of nourishment for their neighbors, their family, their friends at home and abroad. It truly is a small world. And we’re in it together.

I am so proud to work with this talented and dedicated group of people I call my colleagues. I am honored to represent a company that has stood tall for over 100 years, providing something of true value to a very hard working industry that is constantly challenged by change.

I have always had a very soft spot in my heart for farmers and I cannot thank them enough for what they do. The farming community worldwide provides the fuel for life. It’s hard work…not everyone CAN do what farmers do. I have a deep admiration and respect for our farmers both at home in the US and all over this incredible earth. Their dedication is inspiring, worth great recognition. Truly the most gracious, warm and genuinely happy people that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. Dairy farmers not only provide for us, but they also teach a true love for animals. What ever I can do to give back…I’m there.

Jessica’s Favorites
Music: Raised in opera theaters and with the great sounds of swing and big band. Love jazz, rhythm and blues, country…rock and roll…and folk. There isn’t a music venue I don’t like.
TV Shows: I still miss Johnny Carson!
Movies: ‘The Jerk’ with Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters… “All I need is this chair…and…”
Books: I enjoy autobiographies, historical recounts…and words of wisdom and inspiration.
Quote: ‘We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.” F.D. Roosevelt
“You’ve only lived a minute of your life.” Alice Cooper
Hobbies: Cooking, Traveling and People…all kinds of people. What we all have in common is our difference.
Cow: Unfortunately I do not. But if you ever need a cow sitter…

This is the extended version of our visit with Holstein World team member, Jessica McKee. An abbreviated version appears in the June magazine. If you’d ever like to get in contact with Jessica, she can be reached at 800-334-1904 ext. 244 or jmckee@dairybusiness.com!

Greetings World readers! I’m delighted to share with you a little bit about me. Among several other duties, I am a liaison between our subscribers and our publications. I care for our online visitors, and those who take time to write or call. I provide customer care to both our domestic and foreign customers, and to my colleagues.

I have one daughter, a wonderful young woman, who along side my son-in-law is raising my three grandchildren back in my home state of California. My parents were both originally from Brooklyn, NY. Hence, I was raised an odd native Californian who says “ahrange” (orange) and “harrible” (horrible).

My past occupations have included being a professional performing musician, co-owning a golf school/ driving range in California, working at a restaurant/pub in Colorado and I have counseled on a hotline for battered women and children. I’ve asked people if “they’d like fries with that?” I’ve sold stereo equipment, helped people create their dreams with a home loan. I’ve lived every moment, and been blessed with incredible people to share it with.

Timing is a curious phenomenon…and so is perception. We are DairyBusiness Communications - Dairy being the key word here. For example, a gentleman called who was trying to locate our office. He was delivering our creamer and was a ’stand in’ for the guy who usually handled our route. Jenn Larabee jumped right in to direct him from the interstate, he was grateful and they hung up. Great! The beverage service was finally coming to replenish our creamer and coffee for the office!

Important office supplies, I’d say.

20 minutes later, it was the gentleman calling back. Our office lies in a very tricky spot. It’s rather off the beaten track, and at the edge of a very confusing entanglement of streets. So I’m not surprised he’s confused about where to go from the main street. I remained on the phone with him, guiding him in. Moments earlier, Karen Knutsen, Jenn and Carol Moyer here in the office mentioned how odd this was. We all smile a lot, we laugh as much as possible…for the most part, we’re happy people…with imagination. BUT…you can just imagine how shocked we were to see a industrial-haul tanker pull up in our narrow drive. Uh, yes the cream was here…only it wasn’t in small ounce packets we could fit in the fridge of the break room…uh no. We’re talking TANKER. We invited him in for new directions, a cup of coffee with cream and shared the laugh. After all, the key word Dairy brought us here.

Most exciting accomplishment? Meeting our subscribers at World Dairy Expo and helping to keep them informed by offering them a variety of information that our publications provide. The smile I receive back, the thank you over the phone…the email of gratitude, it means a great deal to me. Knowing every day I talk to people all over this world who share the same concerns, and who strive to provide the same quality of nourishment for their neighbors, their family and their friends at home and across the seas reminds me that it’s a very small world. And we share it together. So every time I hear thank you, I receive it like a hug and that’s a wonderful thing.

I believe in what we do - supporting this industry. Every smile I receive, thank you, email of gratitude, means a great deal to me. Every day I talk to people all over this world who share the same concerns, who strive to provide the same quality of nourishment for their neighbors, their family, their friends at home and abroad. It truly is a small world. And we’re in it together.

I am so proud to work with this talented and dedicated group of people I call my colleagues. I am honored to represent a company that has stood tall for over 100 years, providing something of true value to a very hard working industry that is constantly challenged by change.

I have always had a very soft spot in my heart for farmers and I cannot thank them enough for what they do. The farming community worldwide provides the fuel for life. It’s hard work…not everyone CAN do what farmers do. I have a deep admiration and respect for our farmers both at home in the US and all over this incredible earth. Their dedication is inspiring, worth great recognition. Truly the most gracious, warm and genuinely happy people that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. Dairy farmers not only provide for us, but they also teach a true love for animals. What ever I can do to give back…I’m there.

Jessica’s Favorites
Music: Raised in opera theaters and with the great sounds of swing and big band. Love jazz, rhythm and blues, country…rock and roll…and folk. There isn’t a music venue I don’t like.
TV Shows: I still miss Johnny Carson!
Movies: ‘The Jerk’ with Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters… “All I need is this chair…and…”
Books: I enjoy autobiographies, historical recounts…and words of wisdom and inspiration.
Quote: ‘We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.” F.D. Roosevelt
“You’ve only lived a minute of your life.” Alice Cooper
Hobbies: Cooking, Traveling and People…all kinds of people. What we all have in common is our difference.
Cow: Unfortunately I do not. But if you ever need a cow sitter…

Our 4-H club, in Harvard, IL called the Milky Way 4-H Club, celebrates Dairy month by doing a dairy exhibit and a petting zoo at the local festival called Harvard Milk Days. Attached is a picture of the very last class at our Milk Days Dairy Cattle Show 2008. The class is the Pee Wee Showmanship. The youngster all the way to the left is my son, Justin (1yr and 2 month) with his uncle Philip Shanks (15). This class is to help get the younger youth interested in the dairy.

For the Dairy Exhibit, we hand out flyers with information on them about the dairy industry. We also run a video on the TV showing two of the local dairy farms. The video shows cows being fed, milked and relaxing. You can view the video by going to http://milkdays.com and clicking on the photos link, and then clicking on the youtube link.

For the Petting Zoo, we had a Jersey calf, Brown Swiss calf, and a cross (Holstein & Brown Swiss).
~Submitted by Tim Shanks

Back from a beautiful (and quick) trip to Raleigh/Durham, NC for the Night at Kingsmill Sale that took place Friday, June 6. I have some pictures to share, in addition to the sale report that was posted yesterday in the Daily News. Click here to take a look at that report! Here are the highlights and some pictures for you to enjoy:

A Night at Kingsmill
Lots Sold: 123
Average: $8,988.62
Gross: $1.1 million

$50,000
Lot 2 - 1st Choice Jasper x Ms Durchan Lady Allana-ET VG-89 EX-MS 2yrs
Consignor: My Ladys Manor Farm, MD
Buyers: Chartroise Holsteins, OH
Velthuis Farms, Ontario
Kingsmill Farm II, NC.

$43,000
Lot 4 - Brandt-View Shottle Fern-ET *TV VG-86 2yrs
Consignor: Brandt-View Farms, PA
Buyers: Sam Nisly & Troy Yoder, AL
*Pictured above from left to right are: Ray LeBlanc, representing contending bidder Harry Broekaus of the Netherlands; Mitch Hockett, sale host; Karl & Nathan Brandt, consignors; Dallas Burton, sale mgt; Gayle Carson, sale staff; Vance Calvin Proctor III, leadsman; Robert Yeoman, sale staff; Sam Nisly, buyer; and Horace Backus, pedigrees.

$41,000
Lot 7 - 1st Choice Stormatic x Tri-Day Ashlyn-ET 2E-96 GMD DOM
Consignor: Kingsmill Farm II, NC
Buyers: Ashlyns Altitude Syndicate

$40,000
Lot 6 - 1st Choice Goldwyn x Tri-Day Ashlyn-ET 2E-96 GMD DOM
Consignor: Kingsmill Farm II, NC
Buyer: Nelson Dairy, OH

$30,000
Lot 24 - Cabernet Shottle Sunny-ET
Bred heifer due 7/28/08 to Goldwyn. Dam is maternal sister to Socrates.
Consignor: Devon Benfer, KS
Buyer: East Point Holsteins, PA

$29,500
Lot 27 - 1st Choice Roy x Ernest-Anthony SD Tobi-ET 3E-96 DOM
Consignor: Kingsmill Farm II, NC
Buyer: Luke Coblentz, KY

Sale ring decor was handled by Julie Brown - thanks, Julie, for sending us this photo! The colors were just beautiful and the air-conditioned facilities were very comfortable in the 90+ degree heat. Notice the cameras set up on tripods in either corner of the ring? Those are the cameras that taped the sale for real-time posting online! DVAuction was there taking bids. I spoke with Bob Atkinson after the sale…he shared these impressive results:

335 people viewed the sale online from all across the country - California to New Jersey…and abroad in Switzerland!
Over 100 Internet bids were placed - 3 resulted in successful buys.

I may be biased, but with the advances in technology (i.e. high speed Internet being more readily available to people everywhere) and the soaring gas prices, watching auctions online and bidding will become much more common in the years ahead.

Before the first lot walked into the ring, Ed Fellers talked about the breed’s newest 14th generation Excellent - Astrahoe Raleigh Lee Robust *TR *TL EX-91 EX-MS EEVEE. Once the sale got going, Robust’s 1st Choice Female by a Mutually Agreeable Sire was sold to Norm Nabholz & Jeff Woods for $18,100.

Here are several smaller versions of photos I took. If you’d like to view a larger version, just click on the photo!

Sale week is progressing at warp speed at Kingsmill Farm II. The week’s flush activity took place on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for March
calves with good results. Embryos that were frozen for later implantation can soon be viewed on the embryo page of www.kingsmillfarmii.com.

The Kingsmill showstring is in place at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds. Approximately 115 lots will sell in the sale and they are shaping up nicely under the direction of Joel Phoenix and his crew. All show and sale events are being held in the spacious Jim Graham building where air conditioning protects the 100,000 square feet of exhibition space from the warm North Carolina temperatures. Many sale guests and sale staff members will arrive today and details surrounding the sale are being shored up.

Exciting late breaking updates for the sale cattle include yesterday’s classification at the farm of the host, Kingsmill. The dam of Lot 28, Topaz, is now EX-93 and really looks the part, as does the dam of Lot 113, Robust, at EX-91, making this consignment a potential 15th generation EX. Duchess, a Durham from Chief Adeen is now VG-88
in her 1st lactation and is the dam of Lot 37, while Addella-Red, the Advent sister to Della-Red is now EX-91 and is the dam of Lot 117.

Tomorrow, June 6, is the open house at the farm and sale at the fairgrounds. If you can’t attend the sale, be sure to check out all the action live online beginning at 4 pm.

As reported by Julie Brown

The Pinehurst-Fieldstone Complete Dispersal was held Thursday evening, May 29th at The Bull at Pinehurst Farms Golf Course. A large crowd attended the sale managed by Burton & Fellers, which achieved a superb average of $7,284 on 67 lots.

Entrance to the golf course, which was constructed on the Pinehurst Farms acreage. The course has been open since 2003.

The beautiful clubhouse.

Next to the Clubhouse stands the Heritage House Event Center. Before the Pinehurst-Fieldstone Dispersal, Sonny Bartel sold off over 100 lots of Holstein Memorabilia - mainly consisting of sale catalogs from the past seven decades as well as numerous history books and other items of interest. The bidding was quite active for many lots. The top seller at $750 was a marked Mount Victoria Dispersal catalog from the historic 1942 sale. Second-high at $700 was a partially marked Dunloggin sale catalog.

The Pinehurst-Fieldstone Dispersal Sale was held in a tent placed in between the Clubhouse and the Heritage House. The cattle were trailered in from Fieldstone about a dozen at a time for their final polish before entering the sale ring.

Trailers parked next to the putting green.

A lineup awaiting their turn through the ring.

Nancy Thomson, Robert Bachmann, Laura Bachmann and David Bachmann, Sr. saying a few words before the start of the sale.

High Seller - Victory-View Foxy-Red - $35,000
An EX-92 three-year-old Kite daughter from 15 generations of VG & EX dams, Foxy was purchased by MilkSource Genetics of Kaukauna, WI. She is out of a 2E-93 Storm dam and her pedigree traces back to the famous Pansy family at Agro Acres.

There was spirited bidding for Foxy and a couple of very interested groups in back of the tent.

2nd high - Pinehurst Folk Delight - $31,500
Folk Delight, now owned by Paul Yoder of Oakland, MD, is a VG-88 Linjet from backed by five EX-94 multiple ‘E’ dams and her sixth dam is 2E-93 from the Ernlo Fancy Faithful family.

3rd high - Fieldstone Ecstasy - $25,000
One of Nancy’s favorites, 2E-94 Ecstasy is an own daughter of Pinehurst Copyright from a 4E-94 Jed with over 255,000M lifetime. She was purchased by Lakehurst Farms of Sheboygan, WI.

4th high - Fieldstone Secret-Red-ET - $23,500
An EX-92 EEEEE Red-Marker, Secret is a sixth generation Excellent and an 11th generation VG or EX from the Robthom Ivory Mark family. She is also a potential 11th generation Gold Medal Dam. She is now owned by Tony & Tony T. Bos of Fair Oaks, IN. Her August, 2007 red Advent daughter sold for $20,500 - good for 6th high - to Bert DeBruyn of Rockford, OH.

5th high - Pinehurst Royal Rosalie-ET - $22,500
Purchased by Alan Dykshorn of Ireton, IA, Rosalie is a March, 2007 Dundee daughter from the historic Audrey Posch family and is a potential 13th generation Excellent.

The crowd in front of the tent managed to mix a bit of socializing in with the sale.

Behind the tent, numerous people gathered to watch and appraise the cattle.

Sherri Siemers-Peterman and Paula Bovre discuss the sale offerings.

The 2nd Annual Fieldstone Holstein Golf Open was held the morning of the sale. The view from the clubhouse balcony overlooks the gorgeous course.

The course is beautiful but challenging and is carved out of the former woods and pastures of Pinehurst.

A reminder of the agricultural past of the golf course.

Todd Doornink & Jim Powers working their way around 18 holes.

Holstein Field Representative extraordinaire Larry Kleiner pauses for refreshment.

Cy Letter, Brenda Bachmann and Brian Kelroy exchange notes.

A relaxed Steve Berland.

The rear view of the clubhouse approaching from the course.

Not golfing, but preparing for the sale in the clubhouse were Bob Sabo, Dave Bachmann Sr., Norm Nabholz, Gretchen Taylor and Chris Hill.

Our very own Julie Brown has arrived in North Carolina to help with pre-sale work for the Night at Kingsmill Sale. Follow along with her this week on the blog as they get ready for another fantastic event!

This week at Kingsmill-
I arrived in Raleigh on Monday to work with the great team at Kingsmill getting ready for the Night at Kingsmill Sale event slated for this Friday, June 6, at 4 pm. When I arrived at the farm, herdsman Johnny Brooks gave me a quick tour. He was in the middle of cows calving, giving shots for flushes, working with the crew getting cattle ready for the sale, and day to day management-a full slate for anyone. He showed me the cows. I also saw something I had not seen- the calf barn, a 65ft X 288ft structure that had around 90 elite-pedigreed heifers inside.

We drove over to the farm, also looking at donors and a highlight which I will not soon forget was seeing 21 IVF heifers in hutches who had recently arrived from Trans Ova. The calves were from EX-96 icons Ashlyn and Tobi and sired by Durham, Stormatic, Damion and Goldwyn. Just imagine that! It’s an amazing sight.

Kingsmill Farm II, LLC is located on 150 acres of beautiful rolling land outside of Raleigh in Durham County. Above the barns, ground has been selectively cleared and atop one of those hills is one of the most gorgeous views on the farm. A stocked pond is located in the clearing and the view sweeps downward toward the barns.

This week at Kingsmill would be a busy one on any farm. They have a full flush schedule on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday between the farms at Durham and Liberty, classification is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday at both farms, they are preparing a showstring for the Parade of Stars Show at the Fairgrounds on Saturday, caring for cattle that will be in the sale and getting ready to host the headline event on Friday, a Night at Kingsmill Sale! The sale will begin at 4 pm on Friday evening.